WHES Nest Notes

Getting a new laptop is many times like buying a new house.  The prospect of more space and updated programs is exciting, but the collecting all of your stuff and transferring it is at times overwhelming.  Like all big moves, we have had a couple of minor hiccups during laptop deployment.  In response to the numerous problems I have heard about (and experienced),  I created a Help Page that addresses the common problems people seem to be having.   If you have any more problems that I don’t know about please let me know.  I will add them to the list.

Also, to help relieve some of your moving stress I have created a “computer warming” post full of links to programs that will help you settle in with your computer. 

Programs that I feel are VERY important

Lame Encoder (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame-mp3 )-  This program allows you to convert  your Audacity files into the MP3 format so you can embed your recordings in SMART notebooks.

Office 2007 Cheat Sheets (http://www.customguide.com/quick_references.htm )-This site has the cheat sheets for all of the new Office programs.  They are short, sweet, pretty, and to the point.

Office 2007 Compatibility Pack (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en ) – You only need this program if you do not have Office 2007 installed on your computer.   In order for it to work, you need to be sure that you open the program you wish to use (Word, Power Point, etc) before you open the file.  It works like magic…great for the home computer that does not have 2007. Reminder: If you are going to email parents/ community members documents, you may want to save them in the 97-2003 format.

Programs that you may want to download in the next few days.

The SMART Lesson Activity Toolkit (http://www.education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+resources/toolkit/download.htm )    -The folks at Smart have updated the Lesson Activity toolkit.  If you would like to see what is new with the toolkit, visit their “what’s new” site.  http://www.education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+resources/toolkit/tipsandtricks.htm

Programs that are icing/sprinkles on the cake.

Picasa (http://picasa.google.com/ ) -    Picasa is a free program from Google that organizes your pictures and makes them VERY easy to locate and retrieve.  A great program for people like me who are disorganized.

IGoogle (http://www.google.com/webhp?rls=ig) – IGoogle is another fantastic organizational tool.  Once you create an account and sign  in you can create a home page which contains links to your favorite websites, Google Docs, Weather, News and more.  Katy Yandt loves using the translator…I am a HUGE fan of this site.  It is my home page.

Photo Story (Already located on your computer) – This program is a GREAT educational tool.  To access photo story, click start, click search, click all files and folders, and type in Photostory 3.  When Photo story icon that has application pops up, right click on the icon and send a copy to your desktop. 

ooVoo (http://www.oovoo.com/Download.aspx?sc_lang=en )  This a GREAT video conferencing software.  Those who are in the PBIS book study will be oovooing from home this summer.  I recommend not using it a school, however, because it uses a lot of bandwidth.

Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/) – This online globe program has SO much to offer.  It provides satellite images of Earth in real time.  If you are interested in creating lessons with Google Earth, please let me know.  I will be happy to help.

I know there are many other programs out there that will enhance your teaching experience…I will post more in the future.  These should get you started.  If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

As the school year is coming to a close, and the budget is getting smaller it has come to my attention that we are running short on paper.  Looking for some ways to make your classroom paper free or at least cut down the clutter?  Check out these ideas…

1)       Scrap your newsletters!

Most WHES teachers send home a paper newsletter.  Why not cut back on paper by bringing your newsletter online?  WordPress and Blogger are fantastic alternatives to paper newsletters.  Collect your parents’ email addresses and send them a weekly link.  Do your parents not have internet?  Print out a copy of your post, and voila!  Just think!! No waiting at the copy machines! Jacky Devos, Candace Wilkinson and Cindy Curtis do great things with their blogs. 

http://jdevos.wordpress.com/

http://curtisc.wordpress.com/

http://candacewilkinson.wordpress.com/

2)       Have your students complete assignments using Google Forms!

Google Forms are a GREAT way to have your kids answer questions, and are VERY easy to create.  Instead of having your kids write on worksheets, have them cycle through the computers to answer complete assignments.  A bonus for you…all of the student responses will be in one location.

For instructions on how to create a Google Form, click here

3)      Use Your Clickers!

WHES is so fortunate to have 25 sets of CPS clickers.  You can assess your kids using clickers!  Recycle your tests for more than one class, and have your kids write their answers on loose leaf.  Then have them enter their answers using the clickers.  An added bonus to this is CPS will grade the tests, and you can export results into IGPro.  Nice…huh?

4)       Recycle Scraps for Paper!

Old copy paper makes fantastic scratch paper.

5)       Use Odyssey Writer

Compass has a fantastic program called Odyssey Writer.  Odyssey writer is a word processing program that is embedded within Compass.  Instead of having your students submit loose leaf, have them complete their assignments in writer.  If you are interested in Odyssey training, please let me know and I will be happy to help.

What are some things you do to help save paper?  Share your comment below to become registered in a drawing for a Starbucks gift card.

Happy early St. Patty’s day!!!  This month, I am featuring some sites that I was lucky to learn about!  I hope you feel the same way.

http://www.classicsforkids.com/music/

I could not believe this site the first time I visited.  If you are looking to introduce classical music to your classes, this is the site for you.  Classics for Kids has a great library of FREE MUSIC to play!!  It also has loads of games where kids can name notes, compose their own music, learn about composers and “Be a Rockin Rythm Master”.   Use the music to help waken imaginations while writing, or use the games to identify patterns.  After you visit this site, you will think you have found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/

Are you looking for a search engine developed specifically for SMART board activities?  If so, Topmarks is the place to visit.  They have all kinds of resources on a variety of subjects that are click and play!   The site has a GREAT Music and Arts section, and allows the user to filter out activities by age and subject area.  Do not be surprised if you see more resources from this site on Nest Notes!  

Have a GREAT holiday, and I hope the luck of the Irish comes your way! 

Image courteousy of http://www.ziasoftware.com/primate/~smw/graphics%5Cthing1_thing2.gif

A very good morning to you Windsor Hill!

Suzanne Bangert’s cup Starbucks will fill.

She posted some great stuff on Nest Notes.

I really appreciate that the links she promotes!

Since next week we are celebrating Seuss,

I am going to give you some sites for good use!

Our first stop Seussvile, is a really cool place.

The games and activities will put a smile on your face.

Feel free to enter the high bandwith site.

I am sure your computer will run alright.

Put the site on the SMART board and see,

Just how fun Green Eggs and Ham can be.

Our second stop is Webenglishteacher.com.

It has lots of Seussical lessons to choose from. 

If a SMART board lesson is what you are looking for,

Click on this link, and start to explore.

This week I would like to take a vote,

To see the kid’s favorite book that Dr. Seuss wrote.

Take a quick poll in your homeroom class.

If you record their data, I would be a happy lass.

Next Friday the results you will see.

And the kids can analyze the results, tee hee.

Enter your student responses right here,

And soon the results will be very clear.

Now this week is over, and Nest Notes are done.

Have a Seussical time next week, everyone!

I remember sitting in Ms. Beardsley’s second grade class on Friday afternoons.  All I wanted to do was move and get out of school for some fun weekend activities.  Now that I am on the other side of the desk, I realize that Ms. Beardsley and many other of my teachers were more than likely feeling the same way.  What is the cure for the end of the day antsies?  How about the beginning of the day groggies?  How do you reach the child who is having trouble sitting still?  Incorporate academics with physical activity!

Eastern Carolina University has a FANTASTIC PDF document posted on the web that contains 50 different energizer activities that integrate physical activities and academics.  You will have to scroll down through 8 pages to get to the games, but it is definitely worth the effort! 

If you are looking for other activities that are academic AND fun, I would suggest looking at these websites:

Are you interested in what other schools do in their PE classes?  Check out the this link from PE links 4U. 

http://www.pelinks4u.org/links/k12schools.shtml

For Monday, we will take a look at the tools and sites that will weave it all together.

There are many benefits to integrating music across the curriculum.  Using music in the classroom promotes a relaxed learning environment, may stimulate the brain to be creative, may aid in memory formation and more. (Source: http://www.dialogueonlearning.tc3.edu/classroomapplications/Strategies/using-music-grp.htm#activity )

 Technology has made access to the perfect soundtrack for your lesson or classroom easy to attain.   While at times it can be a challenge to find free classroom music clips, it can be done with the proper tools and websites.

If free tunes are what you are looking for, I highly recommend the following sites.

http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/allsongs.html

Are you looking for a particular song and/ or artist?  I HIGHLY recommend looking at the MP3 downloads that are available at Walmart.com.  At the time of this publication, I was able to locate the exact track I was looking for, and download it for $.74.  Another great place to locate music is Amazon.com, however I had difficulty uploading the album while in school.  Also, don’t forget to look at Microsoft Office PowerPoint to locate small sound clips.

Have you forgotten how to add sound to your SMART presentations?  If so, click here.

Need help with adding sound to your PowerPoint Presentation?  If so, click here.

Now that you have sounds, what can you do?  Check out these links for music infusion ideas.

Please share your ideas as to how you infuse music in your classroom by commenting below.

More great resources tomorrow!

Napoleon Bonparte once said, “A picture is worth 1,000 words.”  Why not add some spice and content in your lessons by adding some famous (and not so famous) works of art?  In the book Teaching with Digital Images , Julie Springer explains why one should use digital images in the classroom.

“Young people today learn much of what they know through electronic imagery.”

While photos pep up presentations, they can be difficult to find.  These websites are loaded with royalty free images that will grab your students’ attention.

If you are having difficulty locating your photo of choice, you may want to check out Google Images.  Just make sure you look for these images at home.  While Lightspeed does a fantastic job of blocking content, questionable pictures sometimes pop up.  Also, Microsoft Office Powerpoint and Publisher have an extensive library of FABO images.  You may find what you need there.

Have you forgotten how to insert images in…

SMART Notebooks?  Click here.

Powerpoint Presentations? Click here.

Digital Images may be used for more than spicing up presentations.  Sites like the Wacona Elementary School website, Using a Digital Camera in the Elementary Classroom and Pics 4 Learning provide many lesson plans that incorporate the use of digital images. 

Finally, one tool I like is Photostory.  Click here to see why.

How do you use Digital Images in the classroom?  Please comment on how, and you will be registered in a drawing for a handsome reward!

More tomorrow!

Kids love to be the star of the show.  Why not use this love of stardom to teach some new concepts?  One fantastic way to bring drama in the classroom while improving fluency is to conduct Reader’s Theater during class.  If you are looking for some new Reader’s theater scripts, I suggest you look here:

For other dramatic infusion ideas, go to http://www.childdrama.com/lessons.html for a variety of pantomime, improve, and role play activities. 

I strongly suggest capturing your students’ performances with the RCA Small Wonder Camera.  These cameras (which are on sale right now at amazon.com ) are very kid friendly, and relatively inexpensive.  While groups are performing, have your student(s) record the action. 

When you are finished recording, have the students edit the film using Movie Maker software.   With Movie Maker, kids can cut the messups, add credits and titles, and more! When they are finished editing, upload the project to a kid friendly video hosting site like http://www.schooltube.com or http://www.teachertube.com .  If you would like help with Movie Maker or any video hosting sites, please let me know and I will happily help.

How do you incorporate Drama in your class?  Please share.  Those who share will be entered in a drawing for a handsome reward!

All students can star in the show with these activities!  Have fun on the stage!

After hearing all of the good news about the direction of the arts at WHES, I have one word to describe how I feel…EXCITED!!  There are limitless ways to integrate arts into the curriculum using technology, so over the next four days, I thought I would give some resources, tools, and techniques that will up the creativity level in your class. 

You can now subscribe to Nest Notes via Feedburner!  If you want to subscribe, please click on the Subscribe to WHES Nest Notes link and enter in your email.  Subscribers will be emailed additional tips and tricks not found on the website. 

Enjoy your new resources!

So another season of Mapping has come and gone.  You should be proud…many of our kids are progressing nicely.  I really enjoyed hearing and seeing what you are doing in your classrooms.  Now that all of the data is in, Katie and I have been working to get some materials, lessons, and sites to help your kids get on their way.  Before you start clicking through the sites below, I suggest thinking about how they can be used in the classroom. Here are a couple of ways you can implement these sources.

1)       Use these sites on your smart board, and complete the activities as a class.  Many of these activities go quite well with Clickers.

2)      While you are differentiating instruction, you may want to have a small group of students working on the Smart board while you are working with another group.  Sites like Math TV (http://www.mathtv.com ) provide online tutorials AND resources (worksheets, tests) that the kids may complete after the instruction. 

3)      If you have computers in your classroom, have students access these sites through Tizmos, and complete the activities independently.  (http://www.tizmos.com )  Tizmos is a unblocked, bookmarking site.  Kids click on the tizmos icon, and all they have to do is click on the button of the website you choose.  If you would like help setting up your Tizmos site, please let me know.

4)      Add the links below to your website.  What a GREAT way for students to get enrichment at home.

If you have any other ideas, please comment below. Great ideas will be handsomely rewarded!

5-3.4

Identify applications of commutative, associative, and distributive properties with whole numbers

http://my.hrw.com/math06_07/nsmedia/homework_help/msm2/msm2_ch01_06_homeworkhelp.html

5-2.5

Apply an algorithm to add and subtract decimals through thousandths

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/decimals/decimals.swf

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/elab2004/gr5/2.html

Compass Lessons: 56295 MA5322 MA5323 MA5324

4-5.3

Use equivalencies to convert units of measure within the U.S. Customary System: converting length in inches, feet, yards, and miles; converting weight in ounces, pounds, and tons; converting liquid volume in cups, pints, quarts, and gallons; and converting time in years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds.

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/math/mc_manipulative.cfm?sp=student&tp=grade&grade=3&id=33#activity

Compass Lessons:  40991 40992 40974 40975 4B054 40971 40972 4B055 4B056

4-2.11

Represent improper fractions, mixed numbers, and decimals.

http://my.hrw.com/math06_07/nsmedia/homework_help/msm1/msm1_ch04_06_homeworkhelp.html

Compass Lessons: 4B028 4B029 40980 40981 40982

3-5.5

Generate strategies to determine the perimeters of polygons.

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/perimeter_and_area/index.html

Compass Lessons: 3B053 34076 34077 34062

3-2.4

Apply procedures to round any whole number to the nearest 10, 100, or 1,000.

http://www.wmnet.org.uk/resources/gordon/Dart%20Board%20-%20rounding.swf

http://countdown.luc.edu/NCTM_cat/NumberOperation/WholeNumbers/060202/Rounding/index.html

Compass Lessons:  34138 34139 34140 3B009 3B010 3B011

2-5.7

Use analog and digital clocks to tell and record time to the nearest quarter hour and to the nearest five-minute interval.

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_317_g_2_t_4.html

1 Compass Lessons:  0158 10169 20115 20116 20169 34090

2-2.4

Compare whole-number quantities through 999 by using the terms is less than, is greater than, and is equal to and the symbols <, >, and =.

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=ncmenu

Compass Lessons: 10097 10163 20144 20159 20179 34135 3B004 3B005

1-5.11

Use Celsius and Fahrenheit thermometers to measure temperature.

http://www.eduplace.com/cgi-bin/template/kids/hmm/practice/templates/rules.thtml?ID=hmm07_ep/gr2/1806&GRADE=2&UNIT=7&CHAPTER=18&LESSON=6&UNIT_TITLE=Measurement&

http://www.eduplace.com/cgi-bin/template/kids/hmm/practice/templates/rules.thtml?ID=hmm07_ep/gr2/1805&GRADE=2&UNIT=7&CHAPTER=18&LESSON=5&UNIT_TITLE=Measurement&

Compass Lessons: 10258 20171 20172

1-2.1

Translate between numeral and quantity through 100.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/numeracy/

Compass Lessons: KM009 KM034 KM035 KM036 KM037 KM041 KM044 KM045 KM046 KM047 KM087 KM089 10147 1B001

K-4.1

Identify the two-dimensional shapes square, circle, triangle, and rectangle and the three-dimensional shapes cube, sphere, and cylinder.

http://pbskids.org/bigbigworld/home.html?externalPuppet=snook&externalAddRoom=Top&action=room

Compass Lessons:  KM027 KM028 10095 10113 10149 10150 10154 10155 10166 10196 10197

K-2.8

Identify ordinal positions through 31st.

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ordinal_numbers/eng/Introduct/mainsessionpart1.swf

Compass Lessons:  KM051 KM052 10092